


But First, Unblink

by xxredwineandambiencexx



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: But it isn't either of our main pairing or Peter, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Oblivious Stephen Strange, Slow Burn, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange parenting Peter Parker | Supremefamily | Strange Family, major character death in Chapter 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 16:59:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18347873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxredwineandambiencexx/pseuds/xxredwineandambiencexx
Summary: Undoing the chaos that Thanos had caused across the universe was the (kind of) easy part. It’s what comes after that’s more difficult.A look on what might happen after the events of Avengers Endgame. Iron strange AU





	But First, Unblink

The sound of 4 billion lost souls reanimating on planet Earth had been overwhelming. Even with the advanced systems in his battle worn suit, he’d still felt the filling of space, the collective inhale, delicate like they’re all waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

Like they’re waiting for the universe to play a sick joke on them, because wouldn’t that just be fucking typical? 

But the universe stays it’s hand, and what had reigned next had been complete and utter chaos. Phone networks hadn’t been able to handle the sudden re emergence of billions of mobile phones, all trying to track down loved ones to make sure they’d made it back too. 

The screams of shock still echoed in his ears, almost a full 24 hours after they’d reversed the damage that Thanos had caused.

Tony should have felt elated that the plan worked. But he still felt numb, still felt empty. Not willing to believe until he’d seen the kid with his own eyes. 

And he’d dreaded it, dreaded what sort of condition they’d find Peter in, let alone Strange.

Carol Danvers had been his saving grace. She’d been halfway to Titan while they were all celebrating, exhausted but well aware that they still had two members of their team to bring home. 

He and Carol had many conversations over the past year, opening up about their collective experiences, the lives that they’d lived. She’d been a total wildcard when she’d rocketed past their ship, responding to the weak distress signal he’d sent out into the galaxy. 

He’d been surprised by her humour when she’d made it onboard, the wry smile she wore when she’d inspected his handiwork so far. Her power boost had been the last thing he’d needed, and she’d been his guiding light back home.

  
Despite everything, the hospital is a soothing place. He can hear the clamour of hundreds of people in the halls beyond, the staff stretched to their absolute capacity with the influx of patients all wanting reassurance that they were okay. 

But here, in this private room with Peter, he can finally, finally breathe out. 

The kid had limped in slowly, one arm slung around Carol’s shoulder, Strange floating along behind them with that weird cape/cloak of his. It had been Strange that had waved away a female, brunette doctor that had been working towards them. 

It had been Strange that had performed a basic set of observations, his bed side manner surprisingly charming as he’d joked around with Peter, tried to coax a semblance of normal human interaction out of the younger man. 

Tony had sensed a bond there, something more that hadn’t been there in the few short interactions that Strange and Peter had had previously. A camaraderie, a friendship, a certain protectiveness that emanated from Strange, something that made Tony think that the other man would die for the kid. 

“Hey Mr Stark.” Peter had mumbled before promptly passing out and slipping into a deep sleep.

“He’s exhausted.” Strange points out, perhaps unnecessarily. He scribbles something onto a chart and hangs it at the foot of Peter’s bed. “His body should take care of the rest though. I’ll come check on him in a hour, make sure that he’s okay.” 

“What-“ Tony begins before pausing, not even sure how to begin asking what the hell the vanished had gone through while they were trying to undo Thanos’ snap. 

Strange turns towards him, cape morphing into dark blue doctor’s scrubs. He can’t help but stare, unused to seeing Strange in anything but his wizard clothes. It takes him a second or two to remember that Strange had been a ridiculously talented neurosurgeon before he’d fallen into the whole magic thing.

And hey, if a part of him recognises that it makes Strange look about ten times more wildly attractive than usual, then he will keep that to himself thank you very much. Somehow, continuing to antagonise the Doctor, even if it is in his mind helps him to keep his thoughts straight.

“He’s been through a lot. Save the questions for a bit later, once everything has settled down.” Strange advises, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. 

_We have a Code Blue in Room 61, I repeat a Code Blue in Room 61._

Something in Strange’s face changes at the announcement over the PA, and it’s only split seconds later that he’s sprinting out the door, joining a sudden surge of doctors that are converging on the one room. 

Tony tries to cast his mind back to the myriad episodes of Grey’s Anatomy he’d watched with Rhodey out of sheer boredom. Code Blue was Cardiac, from what he could remember. Something to do with the heart. 

Poor bastard, whoever it was in 61.

Despite the bone deep exhaustion he’s feeling right about now, a part of him wants to rubberneck, and his sneakers squeak against the floor of Peter’s room as he pokes his head around the doorframe. 

He freezes when he sees Natasha some way down the hallway, one hand over her mouth as she stares through what can only be an observation window that looks into a room. 

A feeling of dread settles low in his stomach, because if the look on Nat’s face is indication enough, it’s one of them that’s currently coding. But who? 

He runs rapidly through the list of his teammates that had made it through the final battle in one piece, not able to place who it would be.

Nat doesn’t even flinch when he skids to a stop beside her, doesn’t say a word as he follows her gaze. He can’t even see who’s on the bed, not amongst the sea of blue scrubs. 

“Who?” He asks quietly, not sure if he wants to hear the answer. If he's ready to hear the answer. 

“Cap.” Nat answers through gritted teeth, and he doesn’t know all of Nat’s quirks, but knows her enough to know that she’s trying not to cry. “He was fine last night, but it’s like his body has just… given up. Like it’s had enough of fighting.”

It takes every ounce of his willpower to remain standing, glued to Nat’s side. It was true that he and Cap had a complicated relationship, butted heads on things more often than not. But he’d been genuinely glad when Cap had made it through the Snap, had made it through the final battle, when the odds were high that at least _one_ of them wouldn’t make it.

“Has anyone told Barnes?” He asks Nat in a low voice, because containing a possibly homicidal assassin should probably be pretty high on their priority list right now. 

“Fury’s with him now. They’ve got a team of agents surrounding the waiting room, ready to contain.” Nat replies in an oddly flat voice. 

It’s almost like she’s trying to….

“Don’t do that.” Tony tells Nat forcefully. “Don’t you dare pretend like it’s nothing. This is _Cap._ ” His voice breaks over the last syllable, and Nat raises an eyebrow in surprise. 

They both fall silent, turning back towards the window, watching the myriad of doctors trying to bring Steve back from the abyss.

It could have been minutes, or even hours. Time seemed to almost slow down, and a part of Tony can’t help but wonder if there’s still a remnant of the Time Stone floating around somewhere, that it had somehow escaped the containment they’d kept around it after they were done with the Gauntlet. 

But it’s Strange that finally steps away, glancing at the clock mounted on the wall above the bed as he says something to another doctor. 

As if a silent signal had gone out, the doctors slow their movements, and finally step away from Steve. 

Beside him, Natasha lets out a choked sob as she covers her hand with her mouth. 

The realisation of what was happening hit him like a tonne of bricks, and even as Strange stares at him through the glass, a silent apology in his eyes, Tony turns and pushes through the crowd of people still milling around the hallway, stumbling back towards Peter’s room. 

“Tony? Tony!” Nat calls out after him. 

Something clamps down on his chest, like the air is being sucked out of his lungs as he barrels down the hallway. A part of him wishes that he could be there for Natasha, be the man that she probably is expecting him to be in this moment. 

But  _fuck._

“Sorry.” He mumbles as he bumps into one of the doctors, who turns and glances at him in concern. 

“Sir are you alright?” The doctor looks guarded, unsure as to what he’s dealing with.

“Need some air.” He gasps out, pushing open the door to Peter’s room, making a beeline for the balcony. 

The outside air is cold, chilled by the moisture on the air, and he sucks in a deep breath, head bowed over the balcony railing. 

“Fuck.” He whispers to himself, even as the sound of the sliding door has him reeling around, ready to tell someone to _fuck off._

He was expecting Nat, or maybe even Peter who was disturbed by the racket he’d made. 

But he wasn’t expecting Strange, who’s even now pulling the sliding door shut behind him, cutting them off from the rest of the world. 

“Breathe, Tony.” Strange holds his gaze, whole being calm despite the fact he’d just witnessed an invincible super soldier die on the table in front of his eyes. “Breathe.”

He turns back to the city stretched out endlessly before him, doing as he’s told for once in his life.

It wasn't supposed to end like this.

* * *

His apartment is too empty. He’s never felt like that before despite living alone for years, rattling around in the space and finding too many things to occupy his time.

But tonight… tonight is the first time that he feels truly alone. 

The sun is just rising over the Manhattan skyline as he pours himself a drink, ice cubes clinking together gently. He raises the glass in a silent toast to his fallen friend, knocking back the drink faster than was probably healthy. 

The news would be breaking soon, it had already been spreading through the hospital when May had arrived at Peter’s bedside, a hand so gentle on his shoulder that it almost has him breaking down again. 

“Thank you for being there for him.” May had whispered into his ear before sailing past him in a cloud of perfume and dropping down into a seat next to Peter. 

It had been a silent dismissal and a request for privacy all at once, and he’d stood silently, barely a backward glance as he’d left May to have her time with Peter. 

His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he takes it out and stares at the screen for a long moment before bringing the phone to his ear. 

“Hey Ms Potts.”

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice is infused with warmth, genuine concern for him. “Nick told me about Steve. Do you need me to come over?”

Honestly, Pepper had been a godsend through the whole process to undo what Thanos had started. She’d singlehandedly kept Stark Industries afloat while he’d been off Avenging.

He wasn’t sure what he would have done if Pep hadn’t made it through the Snap. They’d sat down at the start, when they’d been staring down the precipice of the long road that had been laid out for them. 

The conversation they’d had together had been long, and necessary, and they’d both walked away with a deep love for each other, but also with a realisation that it could never work moving forward, if what he wanted to do was going to eventuate.

Their split had been quiet, almost unnoticed with the chaos that had gripped the rest of the world in the aftermath of the Snap. They hadn't told any of the others, but he's sure that they noticed. 

“I’m fine Pep.” Tony replies, dropping the glass on the bar as he moves towards the lounge. 

“I’m in the lobby.” Pepper’s tone is abrupt, business like. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

He just collapses onto the lounge, hanging up the phone and tossing it towards the general vicinity of the coffee table. 

His eyes have just drifted shut when the elevator lets out a soft ding, the loud clacking of Pepper’s heels echoing off the marbled floor. 

Pepper doesn’t say anything more to him as she kicks off her shoes, sliding in behind him, arms snaking around his waist. 

“You want to talk about it?” Pepper murmurs into his ear, even as he squeezes his eyes shut, hand closing around her arm. 

“Nope.”

“Okay.” Pepper whispers, burying her face into his neck and breathing out. “I’m glad that you’re alright.”

And as the sunlight creeps across the floor of his lounge room, Tony Stark closes his eyes.

And for the first time in over a year, he falls asleep without worrying about what will happen when he wakes up again. 

**Author's Note:**

> So I've always wanted to write for this pairing but was never sure where to begin- figured this was as good a place as any!


End file.
